Sultan Bolkiah was the 5th
Sultan of Brunei. He ascended the throne upon the abdication of his father, Sultan
Sulaiman, and ruled Brunei from 1485 to 1524. His reign marked the Golden Age of Brunei[1] and saw the Sultanate became the superpower of the Malay archipelago. Bolkiah frequently traveled abroad to gain new ideas for the development of the country, as well as seeking suggestions from his various chiefs. It is said that his name was kept by his father after the Ba'Alawi Sayyed clan Ba-Awalqhiyyah who had gained control over much of the Yemeni kingdom of
Hadhramaut.

This increased Brunei's wealth as well as extending Islamic teachings in the region, resulting in the influence and power of Brunei reaching its peak during this period. Bolkiah's rule reached essentially all of coastal
Borneo,[1] as far south as
Banjarmasin,[3] and as far north as the island of
Luzon, including Seludong (present-day
Manila) in the Philippines.[1]

Marriage

Bolkiah was married to Laila Menchanai, the daughter of
Sulu Sultan Amir Ul-Ombra and Datu Kemin.

Death and succession

After his death, sultan Bolkiah was succeeded by his son,
Abdul Kahar.[1] He was buried in
Kota Batu with his wife, Princess Leila Mechanai.

Uncertainties

The earliest historical record of the
Sultans of Brunei is not clearly known due to the poor early documentation of
Brunei's history. Many elder members of the House of Bolkiah claim that their ancestors were the BaHassan and BaAlawi Saadah from Tarim and Hadhramawt in
Yemen. In addition there has been an effort to Islamise the history, with the "official history" not matching up with verifiable foreign sources.[4] The Batu Tarsilah, the genealogical record of the kings of Brunei, was not started until 1807
CE.

Notes and references

^Although this is the interpretation based upon the work of
Antonio Pigafetta, other authorities suggest that Seludong may have referred to the Serudong River, which is in northeastern Borneo, and not to the island of Luzon at all. Saunders, Graham (2002). History of Brunei (second ed.). New York: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 42.
ISBN978-0-7007-1698-2.